1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a platform scale with a load platform for receiving the article to be weighed, a force sensor for generating a measuring signal related to the weight of the article to be weighed, and a lever arrangement supported on a basic frame which is rectangular in the frame plane, which plane is parallel to the plane of the load platform, wherein on the input side of the scale the load platform is supported vertically on the lever arrangement, for transmitting the force corresponding to the weight of the article to be weighed, and on the output side the lever arrangement is coupled to the force sensor by at least one force-transmitting arm.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In such platform scales, which customarily have two oppositely disposed force-transmitting arms, each one of which essentially transmits the force from one half of the load platform, wherein the arms are coupled together and are coupled in common to the force sensor via their mutually facing free ends, the lever arrangement is customarily complex in design. Because the lever arrangement is intended to receive the force to be transmitted to the force sensor, and also serves to guide the load platform, known platform scales have knife edges (thrust edges) and seats therefor, for accommodating and limiting individual parts, and such scales also may have means to prevent disengagement of the seats. Not only is such a system tedious to assemble and install, but also it requires very precise adjustment. As a result the adjustment costs are high.
A known scale of the type described initially above (Ger. OS 35 14 340) is improved in that the two force-transmitting arms are pivotably connected to the basic frame by means of flexional bearings, with each such bearing being comprised of a spring steel strip held between claw beams. This system is also costly to manufacture, install and adjust. Also, this known platform scale requires stable intermediate support on which the load platform is vertically supported and which is suspended on the force-transmitting arms. In addition, a horizontally extending link rod is required for lateral guiding of this intermediate support.